Gas-engine.



H. R. VAN VLEGK.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10,1912.

1,048,9 18. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

z INVENNTOR ATTORNEY TE STAWENT am nonacn nose van vnncLx, or nonrcnnrn,new annsnv.

ens-Enema.

Specification of Letters fatent. i

' Application filed May 10, 1912. Serial No. 696,375.

let of as to and the exhaust of burned gas from t e cylinder.

The invention is directed to the provision of a gas engine of an imroved construction whereby more reliab e, efiicient and noiselessoperation is secured than has been possible with the forms of gasengines heretofore commonly employed.

Many forms of gas engines as now made v are provided with puppet valvesfor controlling the inlet and exhaust. The use of-rotary valves forcontrolling the inlet and exhaust has frequently been proposed becausethe advantages obtained by the use of such yalves are apparent, theseincluding the smoother and less noisy operation of the valves than is,possible when reciprocating valves are employed. Such rotary valves,however,

have not been used to a great extent and one reason for this is thatwith the constructions' heretofore proposed th'ei'nlet port of the valvehas not; been opened with sufiicient rapidity to permit of the properadmission of gba'sfto the cylinder. o

One Jectof the present mvention is to overcome this objection which haseen resent in rotary valve gas enginesas heretoore made, and thisis'accomplishedvby so constructing theengine as toermit of rotat ing.the valveat relatively high speed. a consequence of the increasedspeedof rotation of the inlet valve, the port provided therein is openedmuch n ore quickly and proper admission of thejexplosive gas to thecylinder may therefore be obtained.

The invention is applicableto gas engines of various types andparticularly.

double-acting engines, that is, engines" n -which both ends of thecylinder are used as explosion ch mbers. Preferably the invention is empoyed in a two-cycle doubleacting engine of the type employingmeansoutside ofthe cylinder for compressing the gas adinltted to thecylinder. In such an engine a single rotary valve may control theadmission of gas to both ends of the cylinder and this rotary valve maybe caused to rotate at double the speed at which the engine shaftrotates. When the valve is rotated at such speed the port therein willbeopened' with suflicient rapidity to insure the proper admission of gasto the cylinder.

I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a central vertical section ofa gas engine, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the engine and Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectionon line 3 3 of Fig. 1. I

Referring to these drawings, the cylinder of the engine is shown at 1.As will be seen, both ends of the cylinder are closed so as to form.explosive" chambers at both ends of the cylinder. The particularconstruction em oyed in thecylinder may be varied as esired thoughpreferably a water-chamber is provided for cooling the cylinder as isindlcated at 2. The cylinder is provided with an exhaust outlet as shownat 3 through which the exhaust ases are passed or allowed to pass inaccor ance with the practice heretofore common. The I exhaust outlet 3is locatedoin the side; wall of the cylinder midway between the endsthereof. The inlet to the cylinder is shown at 4 and is located directlyopposite the exhaust outlet 3 and also midway betweenthe ends'of thecylinder. The piston 5 is mounted to" reciprocate ,within the cylinderl.and is secured to the end of'a 1e gland in connecting rod 7 to theengine shaft 8. Each end of the piston 5 has a deflector 9 formedthereon such that when the piston is at either end of itspath ofmovement, one ofthe deflector plates 9 will be directly opposiM plugs 10the inlet port 4. Suitable spark are Iprovided in the ends of thecylinder."

T e explosive gases enter the cylinder 1' .througha pipe 11. Betweenthi'spipe and inlet port '4" is a rotary valve 12 con--- ne'eted to theengine shaft so as to be. re!

tatedv thereby. In the presentinstanoe, the. I -.valve 12' is connectedto a shaft 13 which is drivengb'y ashaft lethroughintermesh ing bevelgears 15. The shaft leis driven .Patented nee. 31,1912;

piston rod 6 fwhich extends through a suita the endof the cylinder andisflconnected by a 95 17 which has secured thereto a bevel gear 18meshing with a bevel gear 19 on shaft 14. This gearin is such that thevalve 12 is rotated at ouble the speed at which the engine shaft 8rotates so that an opening 20 in the wall of the rotary valve comesopposite the inlet port t of cylinder 1 twice during each revolution ofthe engine shaft. The precise form in which the rotary valve 12 isconstructed may be varied as desired. In the present instance I haveshown this valve as consisting of a sleeve open at its ends, having anopening in one side and secured to shaft 18. This sleeve is rotatablewithin a sleeve21 mounted stationarily within the casing 22 of thevalve. Sleeve 21 is also openat its ends so that gas entering thecasing- 22 may flow into the interior of the valve 12.

Means are provided for forcing the explosive gas under pressure throughpipe 11 to the valve 12. In the present instance I have'shown a piston23 secured to the piston rod 6 and reciprocating within a cylinder 24,this cylinder being arranged in alinement with the cylinder '1. Acarburetor is shown at 25 connected by pipes 26 and 27 to opposite endsof the cylinder 24. ()pposite ends of cylinder 24 are also connected bypipes 28 and 29 to the pipe 11. In each of the pipes 26, 27, 28 and 29is a checkvalve. 30. The lower end of the piston rod 6 is provided witha suitable cross-head 31 and guides are formed on the casing of theengine for guiding this cross-head in a straight line as the piston 5 isreciprocated.

The operation of the engine will now be described.

As the two pistons move downwardly from the positions in which they areshown in Fig. 1,the piston 23 draws gas from carbureter 25 into thecylinder 24 through the pipe 26, the check-valve 30 in pipe 28 closingautomatically. On the upward movement of piston 23 this gas iscompressed and forced through pipe 28 and into pipe '11, the check-valvein pipe '26 then closing automatically. The same operation takes placeon the opposite side of piston 23 sothat on each stroke, that piston"orces a supply of compressed gas into pipe 11. With the piston 5 1n theposition shown in Fig. 1, the opening 20 in the valve 12 comes oppositeinlet port 4 in cylinder 1 so as to admit gas from pipe 11 through valve12 and port 4 to the interior of cylinder 1 below piston 5, This gas isdeflected by the deflector 9 into the closed end of the cyhnder andforces the burned genes within t e cylinder out through outlet port. 3.The piston then moves downwardly and after 1!; has reached the end ofits downward movement the gas is ignited and explodes,

ipaaaia bureter 25 by the piston 23 and this gas.

being admitted first to one end and then the other end of cylinder 1during each revolution of the rotary-valve 12 and each half revolutionof the engine-shaft 8. The engine illustrated is therefore adouble-acting two-cycle engine with outside compression, that is, withthe explosive as compressed outside of the cylinder in w ich theexplosions take place. i

It will be seen that the inlet of gas to the cylinder is controlled by arotary valve, this valve being provided with a single port whichcontrols the inlet ofgas to both ends of the cylinder. When thusconstructed the inlet valve may be rotated at double the speed at whichthe engine shaft is rotated and as a consequence of this relatively highspeed of rotation the port in the rotary valve will become 0 ened that athorough an reliab e admission of gas to the cylinder will take place inthe small time interval allowed for the admission of the gas.

I have illustrated and described my invention as applied to adouble-acting twocycle gas englne having outside compression but I wishit understoodthat themvention isnot limited in its application toengines of this type. Also, various odifications in the constructionshown may be made. All such modification, therefore, I consider withinthe scope of my invention and I aim to cover them by the terms of theclaims appended hereto.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a pistonreciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston isconnected, a rotary inlet valve control- Im the admission of explosivegas to both en s of the cylinder, and gearing connecting the engine saft in driving relation to the uite rapidly so rotary valve for rotatingsaid valve at higher speedthan the engine shaft, substantially as setforth,

2. A gas engine having a cylinder closed both ends, a pistonreciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston isconnected, a rotary inlet valve control- 1 the admission of explosivegas to both the engine shaft and said rotary valve for causing theengine shaft to rotate said valve at double the speed of rotation of theengine shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. A gas engine having a cylinder closed "at bothends, a pistonreciprocating iii the cylinder, anengine shaft to which the piston isconnected, a single inlet port in the wall of the cylinder and midwaybetween the ends of the cylinder for admitting gas to the cylinder onboth sides of the, piston, a rotary valve having a single outlet porttherein controlling the admission of gas through said inlet port of thecylinder, and gearing connecting the engine shaft in driving relation tosaid rotary valve, substantially'as set forth.

4. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a pistonreciprocating in theoylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston isconnected, a rotary inlet valve controlling the admission of explosivegas to both ends of the cylinder, means operated by the engine shaft for.supplying gas under pres-.

sure to said valve, and gearing connecting the engine shaft in drivingrelation to the rotary valve for rotating said valve at higher speedthan the engine shaft, substan- 1 tially as set forth.

5. A gas engine having a cylinder closed at both ends, a pistonreciprocating in the cylinder, an engine shaft to which the piston isconnected, asingle inlet port in the wall of. the cylinder and midwaybetween the ends of the cylinder for admitting gas tothe cylinder onboth sides of the piston, a rotary valve having a single outlet porttherein controlling the admission of gas through said inlet port of thecylinder, means opercombustion engine ated by the engine shaft forsupplying gas under. pressure to said valve, and gearing between theengine shaft and said rotary valve for" rotating the'valve at double thespeed of the engine shaft, substantially as set forth.

'6. A double-acting, two-cycle, internal combustion engine having ashaft, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder and connected to the shaft,asingle rotary valve control-- ling the admission of gas to. both endsof the cylinder and meansactuated by the em gine shaft for rotating saidvalve through one revolution during each half revolution of the engineshaft, substantially as set forth.

7 A double-acting, two-cycle, internal combustion engine having. asingle rotary valve controlling the admission. of gas to both ends ofthe cylinder, an engine shaft,

and gearing connecting the engine shaft to.

said. valve for rotating the valve at double the speed of the engineshaft,'substantiall y asset forth.

. 8. A double-acting, two cycle,' internal;

having a single rotary valve controlling. the admission of gas-to bothends of the cylinder, an engine shaft, means actuated thereby forsupplying gas under pressure to said valve, and means actuated by theengine shaft for' rotating said

